A player has described how he saw frightened children running onto the pitch at Blundell Park when rival fans clashed during Grimsby Town’s match with Port Vale.

There were outbreaks of fighting during and after the game, much of it caught on video, as trouble makers clashed from both sets of fans.

And Port Vale goalscorer David Worrall has described how he saw to girls being forced to run to safety as trouble spilled onto the pitch when James Berrett equalised for Town in injury time.

Worrall said: “It’s not good to watch - it wasn’t good to watch when I saw two young girls having to jump on the pitch to get away from it.

“I think that is disappointing, having kids myself. You don’t want to see kids running on the field to get away from it. You could tell they looked scared."

David Worrall, left, during the Port Vale game at Grimsby Town. He has condemned fans' violence at the match

Worrall added: “I felt sorry for the stewards. They are doing this more for a hobby because they don’t get paid loads. They don’t need this.

“It needs to be cut out. You are here to support the team, not to come here to have a fight.

“If you do that you may as well just stay at home because you are not helping anyone. You are especially not helping the football club because both teams are going to get fined now.”

Neil Aspin of Port Vale talking about the trouble after the Grimsby Town game at Blundell Park (Image: Stoke Sentinel)

Port Vale manager Neil Aspin said: “You’ve got a game today and there are a lot of children there let in free by Grimsby, a lot of women now come to football, there’s no place for the violence, there’s just no excuse for it. That is the sour note on the game.”

Police have said the trouble was isolated to fans set on causing trouble and praised the majority of fans.

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Humberside Police together with Staffordshire Police, who were present at the game, have already launched an investigation to identify the trouble makers. Grimsby Town are also expected to hold their own inquiry inti the incident.

In one incident, Port Vale supporters appear to mass around an exit to Blundell Park waiting for Grimsby Town fans. They are seen fighting with stewards and Town fans before police arrive at the scene.